This week, the U.S. government issued a travel warning for Americans who planned to be in Europe. As you have undoubtedly heard, it’s pretty vague. However, given the number of cruise ships in European waters and given that Americans have to fly to get there, it’s worth noting.

On the other hand…

If we were afraid to visit a country known for its drug lords, we’d have stayed on the ship in Cartagena, Colombia, and never met the nice man who showed us the sights of his city, Sandy Cuadrado (right).

If we feared muggers, we’d never have walked in Central Park.

If we had refused to fly after 9/11, we’d have missed the Burgess family in England, the McConnells and Jean-Marie Berge (left) in France, Mona Lisa in the Louvre, a wonderful winery called House of Morande in Chile.

If we wanted to make sure we could never be caught in a hurricane, we’d know less about the joie-de-vivre of the French Quarter, the origin of Who Dat?, the fascinating swamplands near New Orleans.

If we never went where earthquakes have been, we wouldn’t have golfed in the Coachella Valley, visited a coffee plantation in Guatemala, flown into or out of LAX.

If we never went to a country with political upheaval, we wouldn’t have heard the sweet songs of an indigenous woman (right) on a bus in Ecuador.

If we didn’t want to risk a chance — however small — of contracting the norovirus, we would never board the gangway of a cruise ship…and we wouldn’t be writing this blog.

The point is, do we want to live our lives in fear? The government isn’t recommending that we do, only that we be diligent, and use common sense.